BEHIND THE MASK
Jim Carrey
Once hailed as the king of comedy, Jim Carrey has made headlines in recent years for his erratic behaviour. But back in 1994, Carrey adorned the silver screen as the lead in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and he quickly solidified himself as the hottest act in Tinseltown. Carrey had been making waves with his stand-up routine on the television series In Living Color, but it was his foray into film that turned the popular comic into a fully-fledged Hollywood superstar. The year 1994 was Carrey’s year. His blend of physical comedy and manic humour was only enhanced by the wicked sensibility he brought to each scene, with Carrey describing his comic style as “Fred Astaire on acid”.
Following the unexpected success of Ace Ventura, a seemingly never-ending offer of stellar roles came Carrey’s way, including the lead in The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. With three major Hollywood hits under his belt
(The Mask alone made over $515 million worldwide), Carrey watched in disbelief as he became Hollywood’s go-to funny man.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Carrey told The New York Times back in 1994. “It is ridiculous. I’m trying to take it day by day.”
THE POWER OF POSITIVITY
During his rise to the top, Carrey became well-known for his love of positive affirmations and visualisation techniques. He would use these to summon the roles he wanted (and the cheques that followed). Carrey often spoke about these affirmations and discussed the topic in depth with Oprah during her talk show in 1997. “I wrote myself a cheque for ten million dollars for acting services rendered and I gave myself five years – three years maybe,” he said. “I dated it Thanksgiving 1995 and I put it in my wallet, and I kept it there…”
It’s safe to say these techniques worked. Carrey went on to star in the popular films The Truman Show, Batman Forever, Liar Liar and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He also created his own Showtime television series, Kidding, and has since pursued a love of political art through Trump-inspired pieces that he regularly shares on Twitter. “It has turned into an incredibly beautiful thing,” he told website Vulture last year, “and I just feel so gratified.”
BEHIND THE LAUGHTER
Despite his side-splitting on-screen personas, Carrey’s life has been filled with recurring bouts of depression and controversy. Carrey married his first wife, actress and former waitress Melissa Womer, in 1987. Together they had a daughter, Jane Erin Carrey, however the marriage didn’t last.
“Look, I’m a hard guy to live with,” Carrey told The New York Times. “I’m like a caged animal, I’m up all night walking around the living room. It’s hard for me to come down from what I do.” The pair divorced in 1995.
During the height of his popularity, Carrey found love again with Dumb and Dumber co-star Lauren Holly in 1996, but this marriage also failed, and the pair divorced less than a year later. “When we got divorced, I had a really hard time because I always felt like everybody knew my personal business,” Holly admitted during an interview. Following both marriages, Carrey had a highly publicised relationship with his onetime co-star Renée Zellweger (they even became engaged) as well as a relationship with Jenny McCarthy in 2005, which lasted five years. The couple were famous for their controversial anti-vaccination stance. Carrey’s personal life took another hit when in 2015, former girlfriend Cathriona White died from a suspected suicide caused by a drug overdose. Just one year later White’s husband, Mark Burton, and her mother, Brigid Sweetman, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Carrey, claiming he had provided White access to the drugs that were involved in her tragic passing despite being fully aware of her fragile mental health.
Carrey decided to fight the accusations, releasing a statement soon after: “I will not tolerate this heartless attempt to exploit me or the woman I loved,” he wrote.
“Cat’s troubles were born long before I met her and sadly her tragic end was beyond anyone’s control. I really hope that some day soon people will stop trying to profit from this and let her rest in peace.” Eventually, the wrongful death suit against Carrey was thrown out of court and he was cleared of any wrongdoing.